Thalamic (relay) connections to heteromodal (integrative) cortex limited by premature birth, predisposing infants to executive deficits.

Toulmin, H., Beckmann, C.F., O’Muircheartaigh, J., Ball, G., Nongena, P., Makropoulos, A., Ederies, A., Counsell, S.J., Kennea, N., Arichi, T., Tusor, N., Rutherford, M.A., Azzopardi, D., Gonzalez-Cinca, N., Hajnal, J.V. & Edwards, A.D. (2015). Specialization and integration of functional thalamocortical connectivity in the human infant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1422638112